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Construction of New York yogurt manufacturing facility celebrated

Governor Andrew Cuomo today joined PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi and Theo Müller Group CEO Heiner Kamps in the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park to celebrate the construction of a new yogurt manufacturing facility by Muller Quaker Dairy. The facility will be one of the country's largest yogurt manufacturing plants and is expected to create more than 180 new jobs in upstate New York.

Muller Quaker Dairy LLC, a joint venture between PepsiCo, Inc. and the Theo Müller Group, is building the facility on an 82-acre parcel of land in Batavia, which is situated in one of the nation's most concentrated milk-producing and processing regions. The first phase of construction is scheduled to be completed in 2013.

Muller Quaker Dairy entered the U.S. dairy market last month with innovative premium yogurt products. It is the first entry by both PepsiCo and Müller into U.S. dairy aisles. The products - Müller(TM) Corner(TM), Müller(TM) Greek Corner(TM) and Müller(TM) FrütUp(TM) - all offer a new way to enjoy yogurt with add-ins you can flip, stir or dip. They are initially being sold through supermarket and club retailers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

"The Muller Quaker Dairy yogurt facility is yet another example of how this is a new New York State, partnering with the private sector to create jobs and grow new industries," said Cuomo. "This new international partnership's commitment to New York sends a message to businesses across the country and around the world that New York State is a place where businesses can thrive. We applaud PepsiCo and its leadership and the management team of the Theo Müller Group for helping further raise the state's profile as an international hub that is open and ready for business. The jobs created here by Muller Quaker Dairy will be good for the state and great for the Genesee Valley."

"We are most grateful to Governor Cuomo for his critical leadership role, and the local, state and federal officials like Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand and Congresswoman Hochul for their assistance in making this new venture possible," said Nooyi. "PepsiCo is proud to call New York home, and this new Muller Quaker Dairy venture increases our presence in this great state, while providing a tremendous opportunity to build our portfolio and capture the significant growth in the U.S. dairy category."

"We're excited to introduce U.S. consumers to the types of products that have made Müller a household name in many countries around the world," said Stefan Müller, board member, Theo Müller Group. "Our joint efforts with PepsiCo will open the door to new yogurt options that we are confident consumers are going to love."

To mark the construction of the more than 350,000-square foot state-of-the-art facility, Cuomo and Müller joined Nooyi for the signing of a ceremonial steel beam in front of state and local government and community dignitaries, representatives of local and national dairy organizations, and members of local community organizations and groups.

In addition to building the Batavia facility, Muller Quaker Dairy will source its milk supply from U.S. dairy farmers, with the majority coming from New York State and Northeast region dairy farms. According to data from Euromonitor, demand for value-added dairy is expected to increase in the coming years. In the U.S., variety and innovation within the yogurt category lags behind other regions, especially Europe. U.S. consumption of yogurt and other value-added dairy products is generally less than half that of Europe.